Machine for cleaning wool from burs ant



umrnn sTATEs PATENT' ortica.

THEODORE ELY, OF POUGHKEEPSIE, NEW YORK.

MACHINE FOR CLEANING WOOL FROM BURS AND OTHER FOREIGN MATTER.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 925V, dated September 17, 1838.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THEODORE ELY, of Poughkeepsie, in the county ofDutchess and State of New York, have invented a new and improved machinefor cleaning wool `from burs and other foreign matter which. ,itVusually contains as ordinarily mixed as 1mported from South America andelsewhere; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full andexact description of said mahlIl: l 4

The wool to be cleaned, after being assorted in the usual way, is fed byhand to the machine, in which it passes between a pair of rollers, whichI prefer to make of copper, although they may be made of any othermetal, or even of wood; but there appears to be a peculiar adaptation inthe texture of copper, so far as my experience has extended. Theuppermost of these rollers is borne down by a spiral or other spring,which enables it to adapt itself to the varying thickness of the sheetof wool passing between the pair.

To remove the burs from the wool, as it passes between the rollers, Iemploy a plate, or blade of sheet steel, which stands in front of theupper roller, its lower edge being nearly opposite to the line ofjunction of the two rollers, and its back side nearly touching the upperroller. This plate is made adjustable, sliding up and down in grooves,which receive its ends. It does not stand vertically, but is inclined,from its upper edge, toward the rollers.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1, represents a perspective view ofthe machine,

and Fig. 2, a vertical section from front to back, through the middle ofit.

In each of these figures the same parts are designated by thesameletters of reference.

a, a, is a shaft, or drum, to which the moving power is to be applied;b, is a y wheel on one end of this shaft, and c, c, are bands whichextend up to whirls on the rollers d, d,

between which the wool is to be passed, one of the bands being crossedto give the rollers the'proper direction.

For a machine of ordinary size, the rollers may be a foot long, and oneinch in diameter; this however, will admit of considerable variation.

The wool to be cleaned is placed upon the table e, e, in front of themachine, and the attendant passes it by hand between 'the rollers, whichmove in the proper direction to draw it between them. In the perspectiveview the u per roller is hidden by the steel plate, or b ade f, f, whichis to be tempered so Vthat its lower edge may be turned by a burnisher;in the manner of the edge of a curriers knife. This edge is then soturned as to cause it to project forward,

which will have the effect of `enabling it to catch against the burs,&c., and detach them from the wool, when they fall down the inclinedboard g, g, and through an opening between its lower edge and the table,thus escaping out of the way.

W'ithin the head, or circular box 7L, h, there is a revolving fan, withtwo or more vanes z', i, the edges of which come nearly into contactwith the cylinders, from which they take the cleaned wool, and blow itoff v back, and clear of the machine.` This Afan is driven by passingone of the bands around a whirl on its shaft.

Having thus fully described `the construcv tion and operation of mymachine, I hereby claim as my invention- The use of the steel plate, orblade, with y its lower edge turned, as above described, and operatingin combination with the metallic, or other rollers, for the purpose, andsubstantially in the manner set forth.

THEODORE ELY.

Witnesses:

C. H. WITTBERGER, LINTON THoRN.

